The Department of Defense announced today the death of 12 soldiers who were
supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Jan. 20, when
the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter they were in crashed.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were
supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.They died Feb. 2 in Taji, Iraq, of wounds
suffered when their Apache helicopter was forced to land during combat
operations.Both soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation
Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Killed were:

Chief Warrant Officer Keith Yoakum, 41, of Hemet, Calif.

Chief Warrant Officer Jason G. Defrenn, 34, of Barnwell, S.C.

The incident is under investigation.

For additional information on these soldiers, contact the Fort Hood public
affairs office at (254) 287-9993._________________Serving the Civil Helo Industry - www.heliopsmag.com

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were
supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.They died Jan 28 in Najaf, Iraq, of wounds
suffered when their helicopter crashed during combat operations.They were
assigned to the 4th Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade,
1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Killed were:

Capt. Mark T. Resh, 28, of Pittsburgh.

Chief Warrant Officer Cornell C. Chao, 36, of California.

The incident is under investigation.

For further information in regard to this release the media can contact the
Fort Hood public affairs office at (254)287-9993; after hours (254)291-2591._________________Serving the Civil Helo Industry - www.heliopsmag.com

Eight U.S. soldiers were killed and 14 injured when their helicopter crashed in a mountainous, snow-covered area of southern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said on Sunday.

The twin-rotor Ch-47 Chinook crashed a few hours before dawn after the pilot suddenly lost power and control of the aircraft, the military said in a statement.

Recent reports indicated a Taliban build-up for operations against the U.S.-led Coalition forces in the area, near Pakistan.

But the U.S. military said there was no evidence hostile fire or bad weather was behind the crash.

"The loss of these service members is felt by all of us here in Afghanistan, and we offer our deepest sympathy to the families of those who were killed," coalition spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel David Accetta said.

Asked if any enemy fire was involved, U.S. Marine Major William Mitchell told CNN from Afghanistan: "So far indications are strong that it was related only to the engine problem."

NATO and the Taliban are all warning of a major spring offensive as the snows melt in coming weeks and months, after last year saw the bloodiest fighting since the strict Islamists were toppled in 2001.

Taliban commander Hayatullah Khan told Reuters by telephone from a secret location the guerrillas had shot down the craft. But the Taliban have made similar claims in the past which have not been substantiated.

The only confirmed downing of a foreign military helicopter by insurgents since the Taliban were toppled was in mid-2005 in Kunar province, when 17 people were killed as the helicopter came in to land during a combat operation.

NATO VOWS INITIATIVE

Fourteen British personnel were killed when their plane crashed during combat in a major offensive in September in Kandahar province, but that incident was attributed to a technical failure.

On Saturday, the Dutch commander in charge of NATO forces in the south, the Taliban's spiritual heartland, rejected rebel warnings they are massing 10,000 fighters and have more than 2,000 suicide bombers ready for an offensive.

"The (Taliban) spring offensive will not happen because we are going to take the initiative," Major-General Ton van Loon told reporters in Uruzgan province, one of the worst hit by fighting in recent months, echoing comments by NATO chiefs.

He said he saw no evidence the Taliban were massing forces and he expected none of the conventional pitched battles which saw the insurgents suffer heavy losses in 2006.

Most NATO and U.S. commanders say they expect the rebels to return to hit-and-run guerrilla tactics, including more use of suicide bombers.

While not as common as in Iraq, and with far fewer casualties, suicide bomb attacks increased dramatically last year and militants here copy tactics.

After U.S. and NATO commanders warned a few months ago of a Taliban offensive, they now say NATO will take the initiative instead.

On Saturday, NATO troops shot dead an Afghan civilian who they said ran between stationary vehicles in a convoy and ignored warning shots in Kandahar province, neighbouring Uruzgan. The incident is being investigated._________________Serving the Civil Helo Industry - www.heliopsmag.com

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two Soldiers who were
supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sgt. 1st Class John S. Stephens, 41, of San Antonio, Texas, died March 15 in
Tikrit, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his patrol came under attack during combat
operations.He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st
Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas

Sgt. Nimo W. Tauala, 29, of Honolulu, Hawaii, died March 17 in Muqdadiyah,
Iraq, of a non-combat related injury.He was assigned to the 209th Aviation
Support Battalion, Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield
Barracks, Hawaii.The incident is under investigation.

For further information on Stephens, contact the Fort Riley public affairs
office at (785) 239-3410.

For further information on Tauala, contact the Schofield Barracks public
affairs office at (808) 655-4815._________________Serving the Civil Helo Industry - www.heliopsmag.com